AGENDA

7:30 I. Call To Order and Opening Prayer (Fr. Bill)

7:50 II. Questions Regarding Committee Reports

8:00 III. Major Agenda Items

8:45 IV. Routine BusinessApproval of May Board Minutes

9:00 V. Future Business

9:15 VI. Adjournment and Closing Prayer (Melinda)

Call to Order and Opening Prayer – The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. on Monday, May 14, 2007 in the music room. Steve led the opening prayer. The following board members were present: Steve Macaluso, Melinda Dall, Peggy Belongy, Fr. Bill Hitpas, Fr. Jim Deiters, John Goldschmidt, Ellen Gravlin, Beth Larimer, Jennifer Holzinger, Jean Bauder, Sharon Brahmbhatt, Ken Pajares, Dave Bryant, and Dave Hopkins. Members not present were Anne King and Barb Schaffer.

A. Public Comment from Visitors and Guests – Visitors present were: Michael and Loretta Oestereich, Dean and Mary Connors, Stacie Royer, Amy Clark, Donna Klaus, Ellie Clark, Tyler Klaus, Lexi Newcomb, Kyle Maloney, Mary Neville, Nancy Fuccillo, Tom Fischer, and Dr. Ann Bachman. Steve asked if any of the visitors had any comments. Loretta Oestereich asked if the homework policy will be addressed at this meeting. Ellen said that it is covered in the committee reports and will be reported on during questions regarding committee reports. Dean Connors asked if we can ask that teachers be present at school earlier than 8:00 a.m. which is what the diocese mandates. Ken said he could check into this, but it is a matter of teachers’ contracts. Loretta said the concern is that the children are left unattended. Ken said that teachers are required to be at school by 8:00 a.m. Loretta feels that some teachers are not present in the classroom at 8:00 a.m. Ken said that he will check into this and at the diocese about the contract.

B. Staff Reports – Mr. Fischer and Mrs. Fuccillo brought 4 students in to report on what is going on in the 6^th grade classrooms. Tyler Klaus and Lexi Newcomb reported for Mrs. Fuccillo. Tyler said everyone tries to arrive by 8:00 a.m. to work on Daily Oral Language and then searching the internet for the vocabulary word of the day. Lexi said they also discuss a quote of the day each morning. Next they work on religion. In religion they perform skits about what they are learning and share their thoughts. In February they studied Black History month and made books, power point presentations, and a bibliography about what they had learned. In reading they have read novels and completed projects to go along with them working on areas like character traits. They studied The Odyssey also. Now they are learning about the Holocaust. At the end of the year in math they are working in groups to help other students that are having difficulty. They created an optical illusion using straight lines in art class. Kyle Maloney and Nellie Clark reported on Mr. Fischer’s class. In history they all completed a castle project with drawings and reports. Kyle and Ellie showed costumes that they made when they studied Greek history. They used bed sheets and fabric markers to make them. They wore these costumes in class while studying about Greek history. In science they made super heroes based on the periodic table. They also made cells and labeled them. In English they wrote about global warming. Mrs. Fuccillo asked that they tell about the smart board. Tyler said that it really enhances their learning experience. Lexi said that it is very easy to see the board and during vocabulary and it gives the correct pronunciation of the words they are studying. It also has graph paper paper which makes Mrs. Fuccillo’s board work in math more precise. Michael Oestereich. asked how much it cost? Ken said about $5,000. Steve asked if there are any questions. Michael O. wanted to comment on how much Mrs. Fuccillo goes out of her way to be an exceptional teacher. She contacts parents both when students are struggling and when they do well. She is an outstanding teacher. Amy Clark wanted to second that comment with regard to Mr. Fischer.

Mrs. Bauckman reported on what is going on in the counseling department. She passed out a handout that highlights what she does by quarter. She is required to document any contact with regard to students and parents that she has made. In addition to seeing students in the classroom and individually; she also meets with parents if needed. In the fall she led an in service on ADD/ADHD for the staff. During the third quarter she worked in the classroom in an intervention on being kind. Also in the third quarter she ran the rainbows program and set up an internet intervention program that was attended by staff and parents. In the fourth quarter she and a practicum student led third graders in groups on manners and being good friends. In the eighth grade the practicum student worked with the students on entering high school, self esteem, and body image. The seventh graders worked on body image with the practicum student. Steve asked about the five classroom interventions on learning to be kind, was it planned or was there a problem that initiated the intervention? She said that she had requests from the teachers when there were some problems. Things seemed to get better after the interventions. She said she often sees this kind of thing in February, during a long winter month. Steve asked if there are any questions. Ken said we are very fortunate to have Ann. He said she also has a great background in theology which is helpful.

C. Auction Report – Tom Faulkner thanked the board for their donation to the auction. Tom also thanked Sharon for all her help with all she does. He said it looks like we will clear $100,000 this year. When Tom was getting back with committees, auction volunteers asked what will be done with the money. They offered their suggestions to him. He thought that he should pass on the suggestions. One of the areas is in regards to capital improvements, the bathrooms in particular. Another is a capital/education improvement with updated computers and training for the students. Tom also volunteered his services if they needed help in the area of computers. Some highlights from the auction: we set a record with a lot of new donors, and new volunteers. Committee members would like to have a table at packet pick to get volunteers on board early. Steve commented that the auction was amazing and thanked Sharon and Tom. He thought it was a lot of fun. Jennifer thought some of the duplicates that were auctioned were great. Michael O. offered a suggestion for auction money: consider maintaining St. Clare Church as a place for children to worship with some of the profits. He would hate to see the building to be lost. He understands having an all school mass in the gym, but other masses he likes to see in the church. Dean Connors said maybe we can keep the teachers we have lost with the extra auction money. Steve asked if there are any other questions or comments. Ken told Mike that consideration is being given to keep using the church. The pastors and parishes are working on this.

Questions Regarding Committee Reports – Steve asked if there are any questions on committee reports. Ellen said that policy and planning talked about the dress code because there had been some discussion about the navy shirts having to come from Just Me Apparel. Mrs. Neville said that when we dropped khaki pants from just me apparel, we had problems with the quality of the khakis. Some of them faded and didn’t look as nice as others. Ellen asked if the board wants to make a change in regards to the shirts. Fr. Jim asked if we talked about the pants. Mrs. Neville said they are supposed to be twill pants and some of them are not. The all cotton pants fade. Peggy commented that we can get the blue pants anywhere. Ellen said the question to the board from the committee is does the board want to make a change to the navy shirts. Steve would like to have policy and planning address this issue one more time and make a recommendation. Peggy agrees that we need to address this issue. Ken will put a notice about the 7^th and 8^th grade uniform being addressed at the next Policy and Planning meeting in his weekly communicator. Ellen mentioned that Policy and Planning also discussed the extended care policy. She said Policy and Planning would like to move the section of the policy regarding students who are unattended after school to a separate or another section of the handbook. Ken said the only problem he sees with unattended students is after athletic events, and when he confronts these students it is handled. Mr. Fischer said that he has opened his room up for study hall for all students who have 4 p.m. practices. Ken said that at most a parent is running late and they call the school. The office is able to accommodate these situations. Dean Connors commented that he thought policy and planning had talked about calling the police if students were not picked up. Beth said that was mentioned as the extreme, what is done in the public schools. We didn’t want to use this method at St. Clare. Ken said he does not want to call the police, he doesn’t feel there is a problem in this area. Steve asked whether we should make this its own policy. Ellen said that we would write something up and present it to the board. Lastly we talked about the homework policy. Ellen read from the Policy and Planning report minutes. Fr. Bill asked whether we could just ban homework over Christmas and summer breaks. Ken said that the homework over Christmas was homework that was put off by the student. Loretta asked did you check with the 6^th grade teachers. Mrs. Fuccillo said that she did not give a specific assignment over the holidays. Mary Connors said that she agrees with Fr. Bill that there should not be homework over the holidays and summer. She feels that it is the responsibility of the parents for summer enrichment. Fr. Bill said that a distinction should be made between those who put off homework, and not having a specific assignment over holiday breaks. Mr. Connors said that it is a quandary to keep kids involved in school projects, but that it is a parent’s responsibility. Fr. Bill sees it to have many complications to assign homework over the summer. Sharon wanted to speak in support of the summer 6^th grade project. Dave H. agrees with Sharon. Ellen thought that it was a great avenue for discussion and positive reading Proverbs over the summer. Steve asked were there grades given based on these assignments and how many grades are giving homework over the summer. Mrs. Fuccillo wanted to put the Proverbs assignment in context. All of the students in the 6^th grade were given bibles during the school year. They read all the Psalms in class during the school year. Ken challenged the teachers to find a way to get the students to keep using the bibles outside of class. The 6^th graders were challenged to read Proverbs over the summer before entering 7^th grade. Loretta doesn’t like the 6^th grade teachers coming to the 5^th children and giving an assignment. She feels it can be intimidating to some of the students. Loretta also doesn’t like the summer assignments because not all students have the same learning ability, and they may need their summer time to be tutored. Mrs. Fuccillo said the assignment she gives helps her to determine where the students are academically, she gives a completion not a grade and they can take an AR test on the book she assigns to the incoming 6^th graders. Melinda said it helps that they get a jump on AR points with Mrs. Fuccillo’s assignment. Mr. Fischer said that his history project gives him an immediate insight into what the students are like and opens a report to start the year off. Mrs. Fuccillo said she receives e-mails over the summer with questions and responds. Jennifer said when she first heard about the summer assignment she didn’t like it, but her son thought it was great. Steve asked whether students know it is not part of their grade. Mr. Fischer said he lets them know that it is mainly to see their writing ability. Mary Connors asked why this isn’t done for every grade if it is so good for those entering 6^th grade. Theresa Wall said from an education background you could look at previous essays to determine ability or Mary Connors suggested assigning it in the last quarter. Ellen asked whether it is the board’s function to tell the teachers what they should teach. Steve said we don’t deal with curriculum, but that if we would ban break homework – it needs to be a policy. Dave B. asked that Policy and Planning study it more at the committee level with a recommendation. Melinda doesn’t want to micromanage the teachers. Loretta said the problem is that her daughter might not get to complete summer homework and doesn’t want to have to start off the new school year telling the teacher they couldn’t get the summer work finished. Ellen asked what are you asking policy and planning to address, do we say how much homework, when you give homework. Theresa thinks that it is an issue. Fr. Bill said that as he listened to this tonight and what he is hearing is assignments aren’t graded and new students don’t have the assignment. Maybe we should say it is enrichment. Ellen says that the daily homework is another issue. Steve said that he has heard more about length of homework. Ellen said that she would propose making the policy closer to the diocesan policy. Mary Neville read the diocesan policy. Mary said that 10 minutes of homework per grade does not work for 1^st grade because they take 10 minutes getting the book out and and putting it away. The Policy and Planning committee will visit the homework policy and write a new policy. Ken said he has been following up with the teachers, next year they are to publish homework policies and communicate with the other teachers about the amount of total homework for a grade. Melinda said she doesn’t consider reading for 20 minutes as a part of homework. Ellen thinks that the board needs to address the summer issue tonight. Loretta wants any homework issues to be stated in writing. Dave said the line is clear – go to the teacher first, next the principal etc. if there is a problem with the amount of homework. Steve says that now it is in front of the board it is being addressed with the teachers. Melinda said she doesn’t thing that the board should micromanage what the teachers assign. She feels that for the most part over nine years she has found most of the homework is beneficial. Fr. Jim says that what he hears is we will not call the summer work as homework and that it is not graded. If work is given over the summer it is recommended. Mary Connors said that the students need to know that they won’t be penalized if they do not do summer homework. Fr. Bill said said that when we adopt the new homework policy we can add a line or two about no homework over the Christmas break and that summer work is not graded. He thinks that the discussion has been helpful. Mike doesn’t think that we can all be in agreement and that children are individuals. He thinks that there should be a happy medium. Dave B. brought up that after the last meeting a parent has worked up a sample survey in regards to homework. He passed out a copy of the sample survey. Dave H. thinks that we complain about homework and at the end it prepares the students for the future. Planning and Policy will address this in the new school year. Any other questions for Policy and Planning. None.

D. Review of School Policies – Ellen made a motion that we accept the following policies as written in the student handbook with the date of May 14, 2007: admission policy, textbooks, visitors, transportation, extended care, organizations, smoking, telephone, parental cooperation, disaster emergencies, lost and found, and dress code. Sharon seconded. Dave B. reminded us that we will revisit any policies if need be. Motion passed.

E. Discussions of Finance Committee – John G. reported on the function of the Finance Committee. He said that with the budget we look at salaries and keeping them in line with District 90. At this time there is no five year plan because of expansion at St. Nicholas. They completed a three year plan instead. Ken said that we need to indicate that the budget must go the parish councils, first, for approval before going to the school board. Fr. Jim asked about the timeline the committee usually follows. John said that at this time informally they have a time frame and that they will add a timeline in the future. Melinda said that business managers from the parishes are on the committee and that Corpus Christi has someone on the committee regularly now. (See Finance Committee handout)

F. School Board Members for 2007-2008 School Year – Steve said that for St. Nicholas Beth and I will be staying for another term. Dave B. is staying for a second term with St. Clare. Ellen (St. Clare) will be leaving and they will announce her replacement next month. Steve thanked Ellen for her great work on the board and with her busy committee. Barb Shaffer (Corpus Christi) has resigned and we have not heard of a replacement for her yet. Any other questions. None.

G. Approval of April Board Minutes – Steve asked if there are any additions or deletions to the April minutes. Dave asked Sharon if work on the website and brochure is proceeding and she said that it is coming along. Dave B. said that if there are surplus funds it would be beneficial to put it into a website. Ellen made a motion to approve the April minutes and Jennifer seconded the motion. The motion passes.

H. Principal’s Report – Ken has little to add to the report. Enrollment has not changed much. Numbers in 3^rd and 5^th have not changed. Steve said that we made an amendment to extend determining the number of classrooms for the upcoming school year. Steve made a motion to move the date back to April 15^th. He reminded us that we extended it a month to see if numbers would increase. Steve asked is it usually fluid? Steve made a motion to put the determination of classrooms back to the 15^th of April. Motion passes with one nay. Ken also referred everyone to a new directory of board members and minutes from the Diocesan meeting. He asked if there are any questions regarding these handouts. None. Melinda said hats off to Mr. Schaab for the Science Olympiads. Sharon said hats off to Melinda and Maggie Wolf for the field day. Loretta asked if the board would consider adding a 5^th grade teacher. Ken said he has spoken with the Air Force educational liaison, and there are not as many families moving. Loretta asked that we not follow the policy for class size this year and add a teacher. Steve asked is there a board member who would want to make a motion for this request. Jean asked is the money from the auction already earmarked. Sharon asked is this a one time exception. Would we be able to add a teacher at the end of the summer is it was needed? John G. hopes that we would be willing to do this if 5 students suddenly showed up. Melinda wants to know what would need to be done for a one time change. Would the finance committee also have to change the budget for next year? Fr. Jim stated don’t we already have a policy for classroom size. We should follow the policy we have made. Steve asked if anyone on the board wanted to make a motion to add a 3^rd fifth grade classroom. No one made the motion.

I. Pastor/Superintendent Reports – Fr. Bill thanked everyone for all they did for his celebration.

J. Formal Communications from outside sources – Fr. Bill asked about the additional fundraiser that Parents and Friends Club has requested. Steve said he has a formal request form for a fundraiser from Parents and Friends. This is a request from Parents and Friends to replace the Santa Fun Shop event that had to be cancelled do to weather in December 2006. They want to have the Longaberger basket raffle in the fall of 2007. At this time Parents and Friends has enough money to start the new school year, but does not have money to make their usual donation at the end of the school year because of the loss of Santa’s Fun Shop. Mary Connors said that she is working on this new fundraiser and money from this would go to a fall festival that is free for families. Steve asked for a motion to allow the Longaberger Basket Raffle by Parents and Friends. Dave B. made a motion and Jennifer seconded the motion. The motion passes.

K. Next Meeting – The next school board meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in the music room. Opening prayer is Fr. Bill and closing prayer is Melinda.

L. Standing Committee Meetings – Committees will meet Monday, May 21, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. Fr. Bill said that he would like to add an item to the agenda next month addressing how we run the board meeting in regards to Robert’s Rules of Order. He believes that we need to get back to a tighter running of the meetings.

M. Deadline for Committee Reports – Committee reports are due April 28, 2007.

Adjournment and Closing Prayer – Dave Bryant led the closing prayer. A motion to adjourn was made by Jean and Peggy seconded the motion. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 9:32 p.m.

Call to Order and Opening Prayer – The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 9, 2007 in the music room. Anne led the opening prayer. The following board members were present: Steve Macaluso, John Goldschmidt, Melinda Dall, Jennifer Holzinger, Anne King, Sharon Brahhmbhatt, Ken Pajares, Dave Hopkins, Jean Bauder, Peggy Belongy, Ellen Gravlin, and Beth Larimer. Members not present were Barb Schaffer, Fr. Bill Hitpas, and Fr. Jim Deiters. Steve suggested making an amendment to the agenda, moving the staff reports ahead of the public comment section due to the large number of visitors. Melinda made a motion to amend the agenda and Ellen seconded the motion. The motion passed.

A. Staff Report – Mr. Kessinger and Mrs. Kress were in attendance to report on the eighth grade. Mr. Kessinger introduced Annie Dall and Emily Dean. The girls gave a power point presentation on what they have been studying this year. In literature they have been reading novels. In science they have studied astronomy, geology and physics. In math they study algebra or pre-algebra. Research, essays, and diagramming have been studied in English. In computers they have worked on power-point presentations, word, and excel. In religion they wrote a Knights of Columbus essay, have been preparing for confirmation, and participated in Game Plan. They have completed projects on the American Revolution and made Lewis and Clark board games in History class. They also have Kenyan pen pals. Learning fundamentals in basketball and volleyball are some of the things they are doing in PE. Chorus received a second place and band a first superior in competition this year. Mrs. Kress thanked the school board and parents club for all that they do.

B. Public comment from Visitors and Guests – Steve asked if any of the visitors wanted to speak. Loretta Oestereich said that she and the other parents present are here wondering about class sizes for next year and also about the two teachers who may not be asked back next year. Steve said that at this time we have 10 students less than budgeted. It is difficult to determine at this time exact numbers for classrooms and the numbers in the handbook are used in determining the number of classes per grade. At this time the current fourth grade is the class that is the most on the bubble with 55 students registered. Ken said that at this time two letters have been sent to two teachers according to the teachers contracts. He must notify teachers by March 31 if there is a possibility they will not be needed next school year. He told both teachers that he hoped he would still need them if registration increased. Loretta asked what the numbers were for each grade registered for the 2007-08 school year. Ken gave the following numbers: Kindergarten 52 students, 3 classrooms; Grade 1 - 49 students, 2 classrooms; Grade 2 - 63 students, 3 classrooms; Grade 3 - 49 students, 2 classrooms; Grade 4 - 59 students, 3 classrooms; Grade 5 - 55 students, 2 classrooms; Grade 6 - 41 students, 2 classrooms; Grade 7 - 48 students, 2 classrooms; Grade 8 - 49 students, 2 classrooms. Loretta said that the parents understand it is policy that determines the number of classrooms, but she said the teachers of the current 3rd and 4^th grade classes have concerns about combining the classes to 2 classrooms. Ken said that he needed to let teachers know by contract that they may not have a position. Marti Fredericksen asked what research the board used in determining class size numbers. She says that she is concerned about the number of special interest children in the classes because they take more of the teacher’s time. She is afraid that if kids need help they will get lost. Steve said we believe smaller is better and it becomes a matter of money, space, etc. that has to come into it. Ellen said that the Policy and Planning committee spent a number of months reviewing class size. They looked at area schools class size policy as well as recommendations from the Illinois State Board of Education. Ellen mentioned that committee meetings are open to parents, but we don’t have many parents attend. Loretta said she didn’t know that parents are invited to committee meetings. She wished that what is being addressed in committee meetings would be published ahead of time. Loretta is also concerned because she says that 5^th grade teachers are concerned about next year too. She is very supportive of the teachers. Mel Barnum said he thinks if we have the space we should maximize the teachers, and space to maximize for the students. Melinda, a member of the finance committee, said that if these numbers hold, the tuition and subsidy for ten students make up the cost of another teacher. If we add another teacher without more students we will need to revisit the budget and increase tuition. Mel said if push came to shove he would pay more. Melinda said that not all can afford a 10 percent increase and they might not come back. Then our budget is in real trouble. We don’t want to see teachers leave or classes combined etc, but somewhere we have to set numbers and stick with them. Mel asked how many students we add during a school year. Ken said not many. He said we usually have more new registrations by this time. Ken hopes that they will still be coming and he told both teachers he hated to lose them. Sharon said if we had money left over last year maybe we should have more classrooms. Steve said that if money is left over it goes back to the parishes. One parent asked if maybe we could replace the faith formation director with another teacher. Steve and Ken said the pastors would want to keep the faith formation director. Jim Maher thanked the board for all they do. He is concerned that if parents perceive uncertainty with teachers they may be drawn to the new school being built. He also is concerned with what is happening in the Belleville schools with decreasing enrollment. Steve said every committee has discussed if the new school will impact us. We battle with the problems at being at capacity. Being at capacity causes its own problems with waiting lists, facility use, etc. We don’t know the answer to the impact the new school will have on us. Ken said the new school is a concern, but we are different than Belleville because we are gaining Catholic families and Belleville is losing families. Ken doesn’t see us losing a teacher each year. This year was the most teachers and classrooms we have ever had. Linda McMillan said she works for District 90. She has her kids here for the religious aspect. She asked what kind of training we have for classroom management to deal with these personalities that parents are mentioning. Ken said the diocese does very little in training, but we have 4 or 5 staff meetings a year that work with the staff on special needs. She asked could there be an even firmer structure or add more support to help the teachers with training or an aide to classrooms. Ken said we have had aides in the past. Julia Bryant said do people go to the public schools for smaller class size. Linda said district 90 classes are not smaller. Julia asked at what number is a classroom frozen. Steve said according to policy, determination will be made on splitting or freezing each grade by April 15 of each year for the next academic year. Steve wondered if we need more time than April 15 to determine freezing and number of classrooms because registration is slower than expected. Steve suggested a 30 day extension to determine freezing or splitting of classrooms for the next academic year. Melinda made a motion for the 30 day extension of freezing or splitting classrooms for the next academic year as a one time change. Dave Hopkins seconded the motion. A vote was taken and it passed unanimously extending the determination of freezing or splitting classrooms until May 15, 2007. Jose Mendez said maybe we could advertise on the website to increase enrollment. When people move into an area he thinks they look at websites first. Loretta asked if we could survey parents that are leaving, but staying in the area as to why they are not coming back to the school. Dave Hopkins said that there is a difference in one year drop off and a trend of decreasing enrollment. Our trend is increasing enrollment. Ellen said policy and planning completed a large survey a couple of years ago. Not many people who left the school completed the survey Ellen said. Loretta said that maybe we could call them. Ken said we usually know why a student leaves the school. Melinda said that enrollment is down 10 from the projection in the budget, not from our actual enrollment. Paul White wanted to address working with special needs of students. His daughter was having problems in English and he felt that he didn’t get help from the school in finding a tutor. He had to find one on his own. Marti F. mentioned that Mrs. Neville has put in a request at McKendree College for tutors that the school can recommend.

Questions Regarding Committee Reports – Sharon wanted to update the board that the development committee is working on a new brochure. Also they have worked with Ann Daniels on the major donor program. The amount for the major donor will increase from $250 to $300. The development committee will make an official motion in the future for the increase. They are also working on updating the website.

Marti Fredericksen addressed the board about her concerns with the amount of homework being given. Mary Connors is also concerned about homework given over the summer. Steve said that you should take the issue to the teacher if your child is having problems with amount of homework and then to the principal. The board doesn’t address individual homework problems. Mr. Pajares has to monitor the homework; it isn’t a job of the board. Marti said that when we departmentalize the diocese policy says the teachers should be talking to each other. She would like to be a part of the committee that addresses homework policy. Ellen said that policy and planning did talk about summer homework. The committee didn’t have a problem with it because the education bar is set higher at St. Clare. She hasn’t felt there is too much homework. There are other parents that don’t have problems with the amount of homework. Steve asked Ken how often he has been approached about excessive homework. A couple years ago Ken heard about too much homework more often. He had speakers come and talk about homework at meetings with the teachers. Ken says parents should talk to the teacher if it is too much for your child. Jennifer mentioned that some students don’t use classroom time to work on homework. Mary Connors said the kids are the parent’s responsibility over the summer and she doesn’t feel the teachers should give homework then. She feels that the homework is busy work sometimes. Steve would make a suggestion that Ken could have a workshop or something with teachers. Marti F. thinks that we should look at research to see that more is not always better. She feels that the amount of homework is inconsistent from grade to grade. Steve asked the board if they wanted to make a recommendation to revisit the homework policy. Steve thinks that the policy is fine, but wonders are the teachers aware of the policy. John Goldschmidt said that there is inconsistency in the grades. He would suggest Ken revisit it with the teachers. Ken said he will make it a point to address it with the teachers. Loretta asked can there be a policy about what would happen if they don’t complete the summer homework. Debbie O’Neil said she gave her daughter a deadline. Michael Ostereich said that it appears that some grades equalize homework and others do not. Ken will address the teachers. The board did not make any changes to the homework policy at this time. Policy and planning will continue to look at the issue.

C. Review of School Policies – Steve reminded us that at the request of the state we need to have dates attached to our policies as to when they were adopted. Policy and planning has reviewed old minutes to try and date the current policies. Dates were unable to be found for many of the policies. You were given a list of policies to review that we will vote to readopt and give a specific date. Is there any objection to readopt the following policies and give them the date of April 9, 2007: Non-Discrimination, Attendance, School Day Schedule, Report Cards and Marking System, Peace Building, Disaster Emergencies, Field Trips, First aid/Medications, Health, Leaving Grounds, Nuisances, Student Search? Jean made a motion to continue the policies and give them the date of April 9, 2007. Jennifer seconded the motion. Motion passes unanimously.

D. Discussions of Building and Grounds Committee – Steve referred us to his handout on a review of the Building and Grounds Committee. Pending issues the committee is facing: the future use of St. Clare church relating to the school’s worship, gym roof maintenance/insulation, tearing down the green house behind the school, potential for the new building at St. Nicholas. At this time we don’t have the specifics about cost of maintenance, etc. if we continue to use St. Clare church for worship. The green house behind the school will be torn down for free this summer. The tearing down of the house potentially may become an item for the auction also. The biggest issue facing building and ground is the spirituality center at St. Nicholas and how it will affect classroom usage, modular buildings, etc. Ellen asked what will be done with the ground from the green house. Ken said they would like to make it more parking, but that would have to be agreed upon with the city or it could be used as green space. In regards to the spirituality aspect of the committee, they may need to look into use of the gym as a worship space and that would best be done to accomplish that. John Goldschmidt wondered if there is a long term list that the committee works from. Steve said that things sometimes just come out of the blue like the new landscape wall that the insurance company requested be improved. Ken added that it is very helpful having knowledgeable people on the committee to help recognize and solve problems that arise.

E. Auction Item – Melinda and Jennifer reported back about the auction gift item. Jennifer said smallest limo is $75 an hour for ten people. Melinda and Jennifer could be the point of contact for setting up the outing. The board can give the limo ride and wine cheese and crackers in limo. With a four hour limo ride it would come out to $40 a person. Ellen said she thinks the amount and the gift is a good idea. Informally the board approves to each give $40 toward the limo ride to Aviston winery.

F. Approval of March Board Minutes – Steve asked if there are any additions or deletions to the March minutes. Sharon made a motion to approve and Melinda seconded the motion. The motion passes.

G. Principal’s Report – Ken said they resealed the gym floored over break and had nothing else to be added to his report.

H. Pastor/Superintendent Reports – None

I. Formal Communications from outside sources – None

J. Next Meeting – The next school board meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the music room. Opening prayer is Steve and closing prayer is John.

K. Standing Committee Meetings – Committees will meet April 16, 2007 7:30 p.m.

L. Deadline for Committee Reports – Committee reports are due April 28, 2007

Adjournment and Closing Prayer – John G. led the closing prayer. Motion to adjourn was made by John G. and Peggy seconded the motion. The motion passed. 

Call to Order and Opening Prayer – The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 12, 2007 in the music room. Barb led the opening prayer. The following board members were present: Dave Bryant, Peggy Belongy, Ken Pajares, Dave Hopkins, Jean Bauder, Beth Larimer, Barb Schaffer, Jennifer Holzinger, Melinda Dall, Fr. Bill Hitpas, and Fr. Jim Deiters. Members not present were Steve Macaluso, Ellen Gravlin, John Goldschmidt, and Anne King. Staff members present were Mrs. Keck, Mr. Schaab, and Ms. Overman. Visitors were Loretta Oestereich, Andrew Wall, and Theresa Wall.

A. Public Comment from Visitors and Guests – Loretta Oestereich had a question about class sizes for 1^st and 5^th grades next year. Ken said that at this time there are two first and fifth grade classes planned for next year, but said not all registrations forms have been returned. At this time there would be 24-25 in each first grade with it frozen at 50 students. Fifth grade would have 26-27 students in each class. Loretta asked if they would consider having three first grades if the Kindergarten teachers recommended it due to personalities of the students. Ken said that he hadn’t heard that from the teachers, but he would look into this.

B. Staff Reports – Jamie Keck and Bill Schaab reported that reconciliation has begun with Fr. Bill. They are working on a live Stations of the Cross that will be performed either Monday or Tuesday the week before Easter for grades 1-5. The 7^th graders will also have a retreat with Ms. Overman at St. Nicholas this month. They are working on a poverty unit which is an eye opener for the students and teachers. Science fair just ended and went well. The students interacted well with the judges. Junior Olympiad teams have been picked. The 7^th and 8^th grade teams will compete with area schools later this year. St. Clare’s teams are very competitive and show well each year. Mr. Schaab was asked how the science fair went with the kids having a choice on a science or social studies project. Mr. Schaab thought it went okay to the best of his knowledge. Melinda asked did the judges give any feedback. There was good feedback from judges and the students were complimented on their knowledge of their subject matter. Ken said it is phenomenal how well we place each year in the Science Olympiad contest. Mr. Schaab said he appreciates what the school board does for the school. The school board thanked Mr. Schaab and Mrs. Keck.

Ms. Overman reported that our theme for lent this year is the heart and hands of Jesus. Every Friday the students are asked to examine their conscience and commit to try and change for the next week. The student pledge is an overall theme for the year. She feels that it is making a difference, but it is undecided if the pledge will be used again next year. She doesn’t want it to become overkill.

One of major aspects to improving faith life in the school is to improve the faculty faith life. Each teacher took a faith assessment this year. They received an individual score at their homes and overall score was given to the school to help adjust what needs to be done in improving faith life. The staff has also participated in a ½ day retreat at Kings House. Diane is also involved in a committee that is changing Catechist training. She hopes that being on the committee she will have input and be up to date with changes.

Another area that Diane is working on is the communal and individual prayer life of the students. One way she is trying to provide this is by increasing retreat experiences. Tomorrow Matthew Bauete will be providing a scripture based prayer service for students in the fifth through eighth grades. He will also present a prayer service for the staff after school. The eighth grade participated in a REAP retreat at the beginning of the school year. The retreat was very intense and she was impressed with how powerful it was for the students. In the kid’s evaluation of the retreat the improvement they suggested would be to end the retreat by offering a reconciliation service. Sixth grade also had a retreat and at this retreat the boys and girls were split for part of retreat. It was very helpful having the boys and girls separated at this age.

Diane’s personal goal is to provide thoughtful prayer opportunities with more reflective prayer and more reverence for prayer. Conscience formation and reconciliation are big concerns for her. She feels that we do a great job with the first reconciliation, but we need improvement with reconciliation in later years. Fr. Bill thinks 2^nd grade reconciliation works well because it is with parents. Maybe each year we should have a reconciliation night with the parents and a specific grade to continue the work that began in 2^nd grade. The children have to have a modeling by the parents. He believes there are at least two generations that don’t buy into reconciliation any more. Diane said faith journals are new this year. She hopes they will continue next year and aide in conscience development. Ken said how valuable it is to have Diane as a part of the staff. She has made a great difference in the school. Jamie Keck agreed with Ken from a teacher’s standpoint. Fr. Bill said it is also a compliment to the board for being open to having a faith formation director.

Questions Regarding Committee Reports - None

C. School Board Gift for the Auction – Dave Bryant said that we could have a twilight cruise again. We would divide up the cost of wine and appetizers. Fr. Jim asked whether the school board has to donate an auction item; maybe we could sponsor something with a donation to an aspect of the auction. He also wondered if anyone had ever thought of sponsoring a night at the winery in Clinton County. Maybe we could get a limo also. Melinda will look into the winery and Jennifer will help with the limo investigation. We will vote on it next month.

D. Student Safety – Dave asked the pastors and Ken if there are any issues at this time. This is the regular quarterly review. Ken said there are always some issues but he thinks the processes we have in place help to address the issues we have. There doesn’t seem to be the tension that we saw last year. Fr. Jim said he hears that people appreciate the counselor and Mrs. Neville. Fr. Bill heard of one incident, but it was followed up on.

E. Reviewing and Dating School Policies – Beth reported that policy and planning has been trying to go through old board minutes in order to make sure all policies have the dates when they were passed. The state after their visit last year recommended that all policies be dated. In the cases where we have not been able to identify dates, the policy and planning committee plans to review current policies, making changes if necessary and then represent them to the board for approval. Loretta asked if there is anything about homework in the policy. She is concerned about homework over Christmas break, summer break, and Catholic school’s week. Ken said that homework over the summer break is an effort to provide some academics for students over the summer. He thinks they need to be reading, etc. to keep their minds sharp. Loretta feels that it is her personal time with her kids and she feels this issue should be addressed. She has found that teachers have been accommodating, but it is still their family time. Peggy said it should be the parent’s responsibility to keep their children reading, etc. over breaks. There is a policy about homework and Dave B. asked Loretta to talk to policy and planning committee at their meeting and then they will give a report to the board. Sharon made a motion to the policy and planning committee to review the homework policy and Melinda seconded it. Motion carries. Fr. Jim suggested we could publicize upcoming policies that are being reviewed so people would have time to give input. Melinda said she thinks Loretta has a good point about Christmas and Easter break being a time when a family spends more time together and at church activities and don’t have as much time for homework. Fr. Jim said he would like us to look at national statistics and/or studies.

F. Future Discussions on Committee Responsibilities - Building and grounds committee will report next month, finance will report in May, and policy and planning in June.

G. Approval of February Board Minutes – Dave H. made and motion to approve and Dave B. seconded the motion. The motion passed.

H. Principal’s Report – Melinda asked if we would accept more than 60 students for Kindergarten. Ken said that at this time we are not sure if there would be space for another class. Ken reported that Anthony Connors had a first place in the greater Belleville Science Fair. Others attended and also did well.

I. Pastor/Superintendent Reports – Fr. Bill said the expansion at St. Nicholas has been on hold for a couple of months. Some procedures have changed at the diocese level and this has required the parish council to reexamine alternatives for funding. The council has found that the city could sponsor the church and get a better interest rate on bonds. The diocese would then back up theses bonds. It has been done before in other parishes. The money we would raise would go toward a spirituality center and the bonds would only go to the school construction. After the council approves the new funding, it will go to St. Clare and Corpus Christi for approval and then to the diocese for approval. They have also refigured energy costs with recent increases in energy rates. Fr. Bill also wanted to remind the board that it is their job to research and pass creative policies. Having an item from the school board for the auction is a gracious gift, but it shouldn’t be expected. We should write and create effective policy for the administration to follow. Dave B. asked about the schedule for the new building. Fr. Bill still hopes to be open for business in the fall of 2010. Construction begins in 2008. Fr. Bill said he is not sure how it passes through the diocese and how long it will take to get approval from the diocese.

Fr. Jim reported that the end-of-the-day school prayer service on Fridays has had low attendance so far. He thought tonight’s discussion with Diane was good. Maybe she could be on the agenda once or twice a year and we could address her concerns for the students, parents, and policies. Fr. Bill said it would be a good idea and then we could incorporate this into new policy for the board or the school. Fr. Jim thinks the executive committee could address this maybe in October and March. We can ask her what time of the year she thinks would be good.

J. Formal Communications from outside sources – None

K. Next Meeting - The next school board meeting is scheduled for April 9, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the music room. Opening prayer is Anne and closing prayer is Dave B.

L. Standing Committee Meetings – Committees will meet March 19, 2007

M. Deadline for Committee Reports – Committee reports are due March 26, 2007.

VI. Adjournment and Closing Payer – Ken led the closing prayer. Motion to adjourn was made by Jennifer and Melinda seconded it. The meeting came to a close at 9:05 p.m.

Call to Order and Opening Prayer – The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 12, 2007 in the music room. Sharon led the opening prayer. The following board meetings were present: Peggy Belongy, John Goldschmidt, Dave Bryant, Steve Macaluso, Ken Pajares, Jennifer Holzinger, Melinda Dall, Barb Schaffer, Anne King, Sharon Brahmbhatt, Jean Bauder, Dave Hopkins, and Beth Larimer. Members not present were Fr. Bill Hitpas, Fr. Jim Deiters, and Ellen Gravlin. Staff members present were Mrs. Wagner, Mrs. Lubeck, and Mrs. Freeman.

A. Public Comments from Visitors and Guests – Andrew Wall thanked the school for the new fence.

B. Staff Reports – First grade teachers reported on what is going on in first grade. Mrs. Wagner told about English and the ways they want to change their hearts for lent in religion. Mrs. Lubeck teaches Second Step and writing. In Second Step they work on problem solving and relationships with others. She thinks that this is a good program for conflict resolution and dealing with difficulties and learning not act on impulses. Their handwriting skills are improving as the year goes on. Mrs. Freeman works on centers and computers. They have just finished dental health and will begin studying black history and presidents next. They go to the computer lab once a week. They write a sentence and they illustrate it on the computer. Steve asked if there is anything we can do – they thanked the board for their support.

C. 2007-2008 St. Clare Catholic School Tuitions Schedule – Ken said that the diocese asks that any salary increase should be covered by a tuition increase. This budget meets that goal. The 4% increase to tuition this year is the lowest in last number of years. There were no questions regarding the budget. Many commented on their pleasure that the tuition increase was so low this year. Steve asked for a motion to accept the 2007-2008 budget. Sharon made the motion to approve the budget and Dave Bryant seconded the motion. The motion passes.

D. 2007-2008 St. Clare Catholic School Teacher Salary Schedule – Ken reported that we are at 80% parity with district 90 salaries. The diocese has been trying to bring salaries up for all area teachers. Now the diocese has a higher rate at the lower end of the scale than we do. We may need to address this in the future. Farther on the schedule we are higher than other diocese schools. It isn’t a serious discrepancy. Ken said that we have a comparable if not better benefit package than the public school. Most of our teachers fall at the top end of the salary schedule so their salaries are still higher than most diocesan schools. Dave Hopkins asked Ken how difficult is it to find replacements for teachers. Ken said not difficult. Barb commented on how the teachers really show how they care about what they do. Steve asked for a motion to pass the 2007-2008 teacher salary schedule. Melinda made a motion to accept and Sharon seconded the motion. The motion passes.

E. Discussion of St. Clare School Development Committee – Sharon had a handout on the responsibilities of the development committee. Their main job is fundraising. Currently they are focusing on updating the website so that we can sell our school and make it easier for new families to find out about the school; the magazine drive, it is a success but some families are feeling pressure to sell, to see if there is another way to give incentives etc.; and the major donor program. The development committee would like to raise major donor level to $300 if we continue to give free tickets to the auction for this level. Food prices have increased at the auction so it would help overall with the auction success. Melinda asked if we have to give tickets to major donors. Sharon said we can look at it. Ken commented that it is a good way to thank donors and get a good turn out at the auction. Sharon said the problems with pictures mentioned in her handout have been taken care of. Wagner Studios will come to games to take pictures in the future. The committee is researching the school brochure at this time. A new issue the committee is addressing at this time is a new fundraiser for the parents and friends to replace the Santa’s Fun Shop that was cancelled due to weather. They would like to have a Longaberger basket raffle at the KC hall. The schedule in the spring is full so they would like to have it in the fall after the magazine drive on September 15. Sharon didn’t have the form but will get it filled out by parents and friends so that the board can vote on it at a future meeting. She asked for comments. Melinda asked if it would be a yearly fundraiser. Sharon said they would like to try it once and see if they would want to add this as a yearly fundraiser. Steve said he feels this is different than a fundraiser with it open to the public. Ken’s question about the committee was if a Christian formation committee could fit within the development committee or does it need to be its own committee. Sharon asked what it would do. Ken said he thought it would address how things we do at school tie in with the Christian formation for the students. Steve thinks that he wants each committee to keep a Christian focus when making decisions. Dave B. thinks it should be in each committee – that each one looks at what they do and how it affects the Christian development. Anne thinks it should be everywhere as it is in the classroom. We will keep reviewing committees but each committee will focus on Christian formation and how it applies. John G. asked if there are a lot of complaints about the magazine drive. Sharon said there are a few and they were more concerns than complaints. Dave H. if it would be possible to opt out with a donation. That is an option but the main concern is the prizes. Ken said they were better this year at cutting down on the number of prizes. Dave B. asked about in the past we have talked about volunteering/accountability would this be something for the committee. Melinda thinks that there are plenty of people who help out in the way they can and that parents help out in ways that don’t show up on paper. If we start keeping accountability lists, it is a great record keeping job and then what do we do with the lists? Ken has always been impressed with the number of volunteers. Parents and friends have a table to encourage volunteers at packet pick up

F. Approval of January Board Minutes – Steve asked if there were any changes or amendments to the January minutes. There were none. Dave Bryant made a motion to pass the January minutes and Sharon seconded the motion. The motion carries.

G. Principal’s report – Ken reported there was a nice article about the eighth grade in the Messenger and how they pray. He was impressed with the students. There is a break down on the expenses for the gym renovations on the back of the principal report. He said we did well staying in budget. We are farther ahead on the gift giving report so far this year than in the past.

H. Pastor/Superintendent report – The pastors were out of town.

I. Next Meeting – The next school board meeting is scheduled for March 12, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the music room. Opening prayer – Barbara Schaffer and closing prayer – John.

J. Standing Committee Meetings – Committees will meet February 19, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

K. Deadline for Committee Meetings – Committee reports are due February 26, 2007.

Adjournment and Closing Prayer – Dave Hopkins led the closing prayer.

Motion to adjourn was made by Dave Hopkins and Sharon seconded the motion. The meeting came to a close at 8:25 p.m.